EU calls summit as Austria blocks accord on Turkey

Foreign ministers to hold crisis talks on Sunday in bid to break deadlock

Turkish women, wearing the traditional Islamic headscarf, stroll through Istanbul’s Eminonu Square yesterday, in front of the Ottoman-era New Mosque. European Union foreign ministers are to hold emergency talks on Sunday in an effort to overcome Austrian objections to the EU starting entry talks with Turkey. Austria opposes Turkey’s bid for full membership.

By Lorne Cook - Agence France-Presse

BRUSSELS - The EU yesterday called an emergency meeting of ministers to try to end an impasse over Turkey, as high-stakes brinkmanship seems set to go down to the wire ahead of landmark EU-Turkey talks next week.

The British EU presidency relented and summoned foreign ministers for talks Sunday after ambassadors again failed to break the deadlock. There were also growing signs that Austria, which opposes Turkey’s bid to become a full EU member, wants to use the Turkey issue to boost Croatia’s hopes of starting delayed talks.

“I can confirm that foreign ministers will meet on Sunday,” said a British spokesman. “Unfortunately it was not possible to agree the negotiating framework today at ambassadorial level.”

EU leaders agreed last December to open talks with Turkey on October 3. But strains appeared in July when, while signing an updated customs accord with the EU, Ankara reaffirmed that it would not recognize member state Cyprus.

A dispute over how to respond to that was finally resolved last week, but the negotiating framework row will now be tackled at the emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers, probably over dinner in Luxembourg.

One EU official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that Austrian leaders “maintain their reservations about the negotiating framework.” “Their demands involve an alternative or interim solution to membership should the EU be unable to integrate Turkey or should Turkey not fulfill all the criteria,” he said.

Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc charged that Turkey was being provoked to walk away from the talks.

“It seems as if our patience is being tested. Looking at what is being done to Turkey, one sees that there are some quarters that hope to get rid of us by forcing us to walk away from the (negotiating) table,” he said in an interview on Turkey’s NTV television.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has warned that he will turn his back on the talks if the negotiating framework contains “any formula or suggestion other than full membership.” Despite official denials, some diplomats allow that Austria’s stance on Turkey could be linked with Croatia’s hopes of starting EU talks, which depend on Zagreb’s cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal.

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel suggested as much in an interview in yesterday’s Financial Times newspaper.

“If we trust Turkey to make further progress we should trust Croatia too,” he said. “It is in Europe’s interest to start negotiations with Croatia immediately.”

The EU official said EU ministers will meet early on Monday with Carla del Ponte, the head of the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, to discuss Croatia’s candidature.

That meeting would “probably be followed by a global decision on Turkey and Croatia during the morning,” he said.

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin sought to reassure skeptics yesterday by recalling that the French people will have the final say on the issue.

“We have insisted... that the process be clearly controlled and that the French can take the decision by referendum,” he said.